Sheet receiver for duplicating machines



I INVENTOR F R FORD SHEET RECEIVER FOR DUPLICATING MACHINES Filed April 9, 1947 BY M M6.

H15 ATTORNEY.

Oct. 28, 1952 Patented Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED SHEET RECEIVER FOR DUPLICATING [MACHINES Frank'Ronald Ford, Birmingham, England Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,445 In Great Britain November 16, 1945 Section 1, Public Law 690, August 8, 1946 Patent expires November 16, 1965 This invention relates to duplicating machines ofthe type in which a copy sheet and a master sheet bearing in reversed script the matter to be reproduced are passed in pressure contact between a cylinder which carries the master sheet and a pressure roller, the copy sheets being moistened before being brought into contact with the pressure roller and passing out of the machine on to a receiving tray.

In connection with such receiving trays, it, is known to provide an adjustable stop for the stack of copy sheets which accumulates thereon, and in my prior specification No. 2,399,176 I have described an adjustable stop of angle section which is capable of being located in any of a number of alternative positions by means of pegs quickly and securely locked in an infinite variety of positions along the length of the tray, a further object being to facilitate removal of sheets from the tray.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in side elevation.

Figure 2 is a sectional view in sideelevation showing the stop and associated parts in the assembly position.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the separate parts.

Figures 2 and '3 are drawn to a larger scale than Figure 1.

In the construction illustrated the stop is of angle section and of a length somewhat less than the width of the tray l I, whose lateral edges may be flanged upwardly as shown at I2.

, The stop is mounted on the tray with one flange [3 of the angle section engaging the surface of the tray and extending away from the cylinder Hi, this flange having a parallel sides guide strip l5 secured to its underside, this strip and the angle section stop I0 being provided with a slot l6 at or near its centre. The other flange ll of the stop Ill isrecessed' as shown at l8. s

I A bolt [9 having a milled or knurled head 20 adapted for manual operation at its upper end is passed through the enlarged end 21 of the slot l 6 and through a medially arranged longitudinal slot 22 in the tray l I an abutment 23 comprising a strip or elongated block of metal being placed on the lower end of the bolt [9 and disposed transversely of the slot 22, with a pair of nuts 211v to. retain it in position. The upper side of the block 23 is, slotted at 2.5v and the strip; [5 engages the edges of the slot.

5 Claims. (Cl.v 271-86) I'he underside of the bolt head 20 is provided with an annular shoulder 26 disposed in a'pla'ne inclined to the surface of the tray H; and when the bolt is rotated this shoulder makes camming faces may be arranged below the tray instead ofabove it, or a coarse thread on the bolt may engage a correspondingly tapped hole in'the abutment strip or block below the tray. Alternatively the bolt may be inverted and fixed to the abutment aforesaid, its upper end in thiscase being screw-threaded to engage an internal thread in a member which serves the same purpose as the milled or knurled head above mentioned T v The stop and the abutment member 23 are prevented from rotating about the boltaxis by means of the guide strip l5 thereon which engages intheslot22. I z" The receiving tray is normally inclined downwardly in a directionfaway from the cylinder, so

that as'the copy'sheets 3 0 are delivered onto it they collect in a stack which rests against the flange ll of the stop.

It has been found that with such an arrangement especially when the lateral edges of, the tray are flanged, it is difiicult to remove theaccumulated heets, especially the lower ones, withoutcrumpling them. r

According to a further feature of the present invention, this difficulty is overcomelby providin the stop in with a lever 3| which canbe operated to raise the lower ends of thesheets clear of the flange Not the stop. f j

The leveril is mounted to pivot ,onthe edge 32 of the saddle block 28- intermediate its ends, one arm '33 thereof inclinedupwardlyin relation to the tray surface and the other 34 normally lying flush with or below such surface andinline with. the slot 22. so as not to obstruct the passage of copy sheets on to the tray. When the handle end 33' of the lever 3| is depressed, this second arm 34 of the lever is raised so as to lift thestack ofsheets. 1 I v The lever 31 is provided with-a parallel sided part 35 which operates in the saddle block 28, the edgesof the'part 35 engaging the inner surfaces 3.6 of the saddle block. The part. 3 5 of. the

3 lever is provided with an elongated slot 31 through which the bolt 19 passes. The lever is further cranked downwardly as shown at 38, this portion 38 operating in the slot is of the stop.

What I claim then is:

1. A receiving tray for a duplicating machine comprising a sheet of material having a flat sheet-receiving portion, said sheet-receiving portion having a slot parallel to the side edges of the tray, an adjustable stop for the sheets comprising an angle-section strip extending across the upper surface of the slotted part of the tray, said strip having a recess in one flange and having a slot extending wholly through the recessed flange and into the other flange, a slotted guide strip secured to the underside of the stop strip and projecting from its lower surface, the edges of said guide strip engaging the sides of the slot in the tray, an abutment block disposed under the slot of the tray, said abutment block having a slot on its upper side the edges of which engag the edges of the guide strip, a bolt extending through the slots of the stop and tray and through a hole in the abutment block, a head on the bolt above the tray, said head having an annular shoulder, a saddle block on said bolt under said shoulder, said shoulder making camming engagement with said saddle block, a lever mounted on said bolt and having two arms one on each side of the bolt,

said lever having a slotted parallel-sided part disposed between the sides of said saddle block, one arm being inclined to the surface of the tray, and the other arm normally lying in the slot of the tray, said lever being capable of being rocked so as to raise the ends of the sheets on the tray above the strip forming the adjustable stop, and an abutment on said bolt below said abutment block.

2. A receiving tray for a duplicating machine comprising a sheet of material having a flat sheet receiving portion, said sheet receiving portion having a slot parallel to the side edges of the tray, an adjustable stop for the sheets comprising an angle section strip extending across the upper surface of the slotted part of the tray, said strip having a recess in one flange and having a slot extending wholly through the recessed flange and into the other flange, a slotted guide strip secured to the underside of the stop strip and projecting from its lower surface, the edges of said guide strip engaging the sides of the slot in the tray, an abutment block disposed under the slot of the tray, said abutment block having a slot in its upper side, the edges of which engage the edges of the guide strip, a bolt extending through the slots of the stop and tray and through a hole in the abutment block, a head on the bolt above the tray, said head having an annular shoulder, a saddle block on said bolt under said shoulder, said shoulder making camming engagement with said saddle block, said saddle block being of inverted channel form and having the underside of its top inclined, a rocking lever, said lever having a slotted parallel sided part disposed between the sides of said saddle block, and having a forwardly projecting cranked arm for engaging in the slot of the tray, and a rearwardly projecting arm by which it may be rocked about one edge of the saddle block, said lever being capable of being rocked so as to raise the ends of the sheets on the tray above thestrip forming the adjustable stop.

3. A receiving tray for a duplicating machine comprising a sheet of material having a "flat sheet-receiving portion, said sheet-receiving portion having a slot parallel to the side edges of the tray, an adjustable stop for the sheets comprising an angle-section strip extending across the upper surface of the slotted part of the tray, said strip having a recess in one flange and having a slot extending wholly through the recessed flange and into the other flange, a slotted guide strip secured to the underside of the stop strip and projecting from its lower surface, the edges of said guide strip engaging the sides of the slot in the tray, an abutment block disposed under the slot of the tray, said abutment block having a slot on its upper side the edges of which engage the edges of the guide strip, a bolt extending through the slots of the stop and tray and through a hole in the abutment block, an abutment on said bolt above the tray, a saddle block on said bolt under said abutment, a lever mounted on said bolt and having two arms one on each side of the bolt, one arm being inclined to the surface of the tray and the other arm normally lying in the slot of the tray, said lever having a slotted parallel-sided part disposed between the sides of said saddle block and being capable of being rocked so as to raise the ends of the sheets on the tray above the strip forming the adjustable stop, an abutment on said bolt below the abutment block, and means for drawing said abutments on the bolt towards each other.

4. A receiving tray for a duplicating machine comprising a sheet of metal having a fiat sheet receiving portion, said sheet receiving portion having a slot parallel to the side edges of the tray, an adjustable stop for the sheets comprising an angle section strip extending across the upper surface of the slotted part of the tray, said strip having a slot for registering with the slot in the tray, a slotted guide strip secured to the underside of the stop strip and projecting from its lower surface, the edges of said guide strip engaging the sides of the slot in the tray, an abutment block disposed under the slot of the tray, said abutment block having a slot in its upper side, the edges of which engage the edges of the guide strip, a bolt extending through the slots of the stop and tray and through a hole in the abutment block, an abutment on said bolt above the tray, a saddle block on said bolt under said abutment, a rocking lever mounted on said bolt and seated on said guide strip, said rocking lever having a slotted parallel-sided part disposed between the sides of said saddle block and having a forwardly projecting arm normally lying in the slot of the tray and a rearwardly projecting arm by which it may be rocked, said lever being capable of being rocked so as to raise the ends of the sheets on the tray above the strip forming the adjustable stop, an abutment on said bolt below the abutment block and means for drawing said abutments on the bolt towards each other.

5. A receiving tray for a duplicating machine comprising a sheet of material having a flat sheet receiving portion, said sheet receiving portion having a slot parallel to the side edges of the tray, an adjustable stop for the sheets comprising an angle section strip extending across the upper surface 01 the slotted part of the tray, said strip having a slot for registering with the slot in the tray, a slotted guide strip secured to the underside of the stop strip and projecting from its lower surface, the edges of said guide strip engaging the sides of the slot in the tray, an abutment block disposed under the slot of the tray, said abutment block having a slot in its upper side, the edges of which engage the edges of the 5 guide strip, a bolt extending through the slots of the stop and tray and through a hole in the abutment block, an abutment on said bolt above the tray, a saddle block on said bolt below said abutment a rocking lever mounted on said bolt and seated on said guide strip, said rocking lever having a slotted parallel-sided part disposed between the sides of said saddle block and having a forwardly projecting armnormally lying in the slot of the tray and a rearwardly projecting arm by which it may be rocked, the saddle, block being of channel section and having an edge about which the lever can be rocked, an abutment on said bolt below the abutment block and means for drawing said abutments on the bolt t wards,

each other.

FRANK RONALD FORD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,023,430 Kirby Apr. 16, 1912 1,086,353 Dick Feb. 10, 1914 1,169,104 Turney Jan. 18, 1916 1,560,738 Smith V Nov. 10, 1925 1,961,285 Duncan et a1. June 5, 1934 2,089,979 Nigra -1 Aug. 17, 1937 2,185,682 Pittman Jan. 2,1940 2,262,510 Morrison et a1 Nov. 11, 1941 2,268,045 Marchev Dec. 30, 1941 

